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05/30/2018 08:30 AMWhen Nicole Wiles moved to Madison one of the first places the stay-at-home mom took her two young children was the local library.
“The library was my first love and when I moved to Madison, we went there to meet other moms and children,” she says. “I’ve always felt an affinity with libraries and I’m passionate about our library here. It’s not just the good programs and all the books, the library is a valuable place for the whole community.”
A member of the Scranton Memorial Board of Trustees since July 2017, Nicole is spearheading its Be M.E. Brick Campaign, a public fundraising appeal for the final $1 million needed to complete the library redevelopment.
“Right now, the library is missing dedicated spaces. The teen space is currently sharing with the quiet spaces in the adult section. In the new library, there is a dedicated space for young people to meet, have coffee and talk, do homework. We’ll have the new children’s space on the main level, and more community spaces that will allow for more and different programs.”
Building Support, Brick by Brick
It’s an exciting future for the historic icon of downtown Madison, and now residents are asked to join in and help make the vision a reality. Residents can purchase a 8” x 8” brick for $300 or a 4” x 8” brick for $200, inscribed with their chosen message. The bricks will pave the entrance to the redeveloped library.
“We hope that people will honor, celebrate, and recognize those they love or members of our community like a teacher, sports coach, graduate, or family member with a brick. It’s a great opportunity for everyone in the community to get involved. We hope they’ll come back in years to come and see their brick,” Nicole says.
For a more colorful option, original artwork can also be printed on an art tile for $100; all tiles will be installed in the new children’s space.
“The art tiles are a special way for our youngest members of the community to be involved,” Nicole says. “Not only can they be printed with an artwork, it may be a quote from a book or your favorite children’s book. It’s a lasting memory to show your children or grandchildren.”
In planning the latest fundraising campaign, Nicole and her team found inspiration in the library’s proud history.
“The theme is to build the future by respecting the past. We are honoring the wonderful story of Mary Eliza Scranton who gifted the library building to the town in 1900 in honor of her father who did a great deal for the community,” she says.
“Madison is very community-minded and we’ve done a lot of great things in this town. We hope that people will be inspired by Mary Eliza’s generosity of 118 years ago and rally around this project to build a better library for our community and for the future.”
The large colorful Be M.E. campaign banner hung out the front of Scranton Library has attracted a lot of attention, Nicole says.
“Lisa Brown, a local graphic designer, was able to capture the fine details of Mary Eliza’s portrait and created the beautiful banner outside the library as well as the vertical banners inside and the campaign bookmarks. She did it all pro bono and we are very, very grateful to have her professional experience,” she says.
Nicole and the library volunteers will be out and about this summer, encouraging permanent and summer residents to give to the campaign.
“The important next step is sharing our story. There are all kinds of clubs and community groups that meet at the library and it’s a place that everyone, from our youngest to our oldest residents, can come together. That face-to-face interaction is very valuable and we can’t afford to lose it. It’s the cornerstone of our community,” she says.
“We’ll be at the Strawberry Festival, the farmer’s market, 4th of July parade, Sidewalk Sales, and Beachcombers. There are many people who are here for a few weeks or a few months of the year, and many of them use the library, so we hope they’ll participate in the campaign.”
From the Great White North to the North East
Canadian by birth, Nicole grew up in town of 7,000 people in Nova Scotia. She attended the University of Western Ontario, earning a B.S. in chemistry with a second major of information technology from the Information Technology Institute in Halifax.
“When I was at university, most of the electives I took were business courses, and I realized that I didn’t really like chemistry. So, I started working as an underwriter for an insurance company in Edmonton, Alberta,” she says. “I was a technical trainer helping people switching to compliant technology during Y2K.”
Fortunately for Nicole—and the world at large—the much-feared technology meltdown didn’t eventuate at the dawning of the new millennium. She and her husband, Jason, also from Nova Scotia, skipped a formal wedding in favor of a private ceremony in Hawaii, and will celebrate 19 years of marriage this December.
“I’ve always thought that getting married is such an intimate moment between two people and it was so relaxed,” she says. It was wonderful and if I got to do it again, I’d do it the same way!”
The Wiles moved to the U.S. in 2000. Their first stop was Cambridge, Massachusetts, where Jason researched at Harvard University, and then in 2002, they relocated to Hamden.
“My husband was doing his post-doctorate research, but I couldn’t work on our visa and so began my career as a community volunteer. I volunteered as a teaching assistant, at the library, and teaching seniors how to use technology such as email at their homes,” she says. “When we had our son in 2005, I devoted all my attention to my children and to being a mom.”
In 2011, Nicole, Jason, and their children Trent and Maeve found their family home in Madison—and the Jeffery Elementary School found its newest volunteer, with Nicole lending her helping hands at the school library and supporting students to build the yearbook. A former brownie and girl guide, Nicole and her friend started up a girl scout troop at the school in 2013, and it’s still going strong.
From 2015 to 2017, Nicole took on the job of PTO president at both Jeffrey Elementary and Brown Middle schools.
“It was a challenge. It took me out of my comfort zone, which was being at home with my kids and being a mom. As part of the Parent’s Representative Council, I was on the political action committee and we organized candidate forums for the local election. I had never done anything like that before,” she says.
“I’m a full-time community volunteer, so I’m amazed by all the moms that work and also volunteer,” she says. “I learned that a lot of mothers have a lot of skills and it’s all about finding these people and bringing them together.”
In November 2015, Nicole signed up for another important role: a U.S. citizen.
“I became a citizen for our children. This is their home and I wanted to do this for them,” she says. “I’ve been here a long time—18 years—and it’s my home now, too.”
To contribute to the Scranton Memorial Library’s Be M.E. Campaign, call 203-245-7365 or visit www.scrantonlibrary.org/beme.